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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — a tin
  3. board — to get on
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. field — for sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bulb — for light
  24. board — a committee

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com